Rockstar Reveals Grand Theft Auto VI Release Date: DELAYED AGAIN To May 2026

After much speculation (and a delay), Rockstar has placed a release on Grand Theft Auto VI. Winner of The Game Awards Most Anticipated Game of 2025, GTA VI is now projected to hit storefronts on May 26th, 2026, a little more than a full year after this press release, which was posted on their official site:

Hi everyone,

Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on May 26, 2026.
We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game.
With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.

We look forward to sharing more information with you soon.

Grand Theft Auto VI's release date, which was initially expected to be around the Fall of 2025, seemed to play a big hand in the release dates of several larger launches, possibly including the Nintendo Switch 2, based on speculation, mind you. In 2022, following a data breach from a user known as "teapotuberhacker" leaked 50 minutes of possibly pre-alpha gameplay footage to the GTAforums.

A healthy amount of GTA VI's development was also likely in between remote work periods during the height of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. By 2024, Rockstar ceased remote work operations and return full time for the final stages of the game's development.

THE COST

With the world market inflation leading to increased prices of consumer goods (mostly due the impact of United States President Donald Trump's inconsistent threat of tariffs having effect on trade deals), the prices of entertainment are spiking. This includes the price of video games. Many insiders in the industry anticipate, and even wish for Grand Theft Auto VI's retail price to be $100, leading to a general increase in the value of AAA software and shift the market. We have seen the premium price of Nintendo's Mario Kart World listed as $79.99USD on launch, Microsoft revealing that all hardware and software across the board is increasing, and the price of PlayStation Plus has jumped in other countries.

Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to do big numbers. After 12 years of GTA V's success, this sequel will no doubt have a large part of the population looking forward to it. But at the rate the market is turning, how much will fans be willing to bend their entertainment dollar, with the cost of living being raised? How much longer is this sustainable?

SOURCE: Rockstar.com